Re: FLYOVER SHOWS INDIAN POINT'S A SITTING DUCK

[maury <maury@WEBTEXAS.COM>]

The letter below has been sent to Fox News. I would send a copy to Senator

Clinton, but believe that they give no attention to email from

non-constituents. I hope others of you will write or call Fox and other

concerned parties.

Maury

===================================

Subject:    Re: Are Nuclear Plants Safe Enough and followups

   Date:     Sat, 20 Apr 2002 22:01:28 -0500

   From     maury <maury@webtexas.com>

     To:      topstories@foxnews.com



Top Stories

Fox News

Gentlemen,



In recent times, Fox News has become my sole source of TV news because

of your "fair and balanced" reporting. I do also make extensive use of

wire services and newspapers worldwide by means of the internet. In any

event, the quality of Fox News is top notch. Now, however, I do have one

question to which I hope you will give consideration



Reporting the news fair and balanced begins with some kind of decision

about what topics qualify as news. I submit that even though your

current stories about nuclear fears are fair and balanced -- where is

the news? What news are you reporting? We recognize that Indian Point

has sparked a local area argument and we (you and I) are both aware of

the attempts by Senator Clinton to gain publicity by her "demands" that

the NRC and FAA provide answers to her questions - Fox News has duly

reported on her efforts. I believe, however, that both you and I

recognize that her questions have been long since answered and are

superfluous. In short, there is no news. You are not reporting any news

by raising the old questions about possible terrorist attacks of various

kinds on nuclear power facilities. This topic has been discussed ad

nauseum for years and , in particular, at great length since the World

Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. Moreover, these questions have been

studied and answered in depth by means of years of research and analysis

by scientists and engineers in government, academic institutions, and

industry.



The anti-nuclear zealots continue to pose old allegations which continue

to be answered thoroughly by highly educated, well trained nuclear

scientists and engineers. Where does Fox News find news in this

never-ending argument. For heavens sake, folks; we are still arguing

about using chlorine to purify water, but this is hardly considered to

be news.



You might also note (if you haven't already) that 26 April will be 16th

anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster (1986). I have little doubt that

the usual annual cries will be raised worldwide about the thirty

thousand imaginary deaths and the imaginary millions of people who have

suffered imaginary health effects from this intensely studied disaster.

These imaginary claims will be raised by private groups and by some

governmental authorities as a device for raising money. Fortunately, the

funds will find rare application to alleviate health effects of

Chernobyl because such effects have not been found - except for elevated

rates of thyroid cancer in some who were very young at the time of the

explosion. I sincerely hope that Fox News will not join in this

discovery of so-called news.



I wish to suggest that Fox News could perform a very real public service

by examining how terrorism  might attempt to use the target-rich United

States to further its goals. In such programming, you could help the

public understand what the possible targets are and how, in general,

these are and could be dealt with rather effectively - in part because

the probability of such attacks still remains rather low in this

country. I hate to think of the terrible effects of an attempt to crash

a small aircraft into a nuclear power plant. Even with a maximum weight

of explosives aboard with your reporter and cameraman, the effect would

be terrible! Your employees, the pilot, and the aircraft would be

reduced to rubble. Other than perhaps a darkened area on the surface of

the reactor containment structure, and the need for cleaning up the

aircraft remnants, there essentially would be no effect on the nuclear

power plant.



If you feel compelled to engage in this kind of journalism. there are a

wealth of targets and measures that you can fruitfully examine. Except

for the play on the grandiose popular images and fears of nuclear bomb

explosions, the power plants have little to offer.



Sincerely,

Maury Siskel

4516 Cummings Drive

Ft. Worth TX 76180

817-498-7135

maury@webtexas.com





************************************************************************

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,

send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the text "unsubscribe

radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.

You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/